The present invention relates to a combination bronchodilator therapy for relieving symptoms associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a slowly progressive airway disease that produces a decline in lung function that is not fully reversible. The airway limitation in COPD is associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases.
In the U.S., an estimated 16 million Americans have been diagnosed with some form of COPD, and as many as 16 million others have the condition but have not yet been diagnosed. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. (behind heart disease, cancer and stroke), claiming the lives of 112,000 Americans annually.
In terms of health care utilization, the number of physician visits for COPD in the U.S. increased from 9.3 million to 16 million between 1985 and 1995. The number of hospitalizations for COPD in 1995 was estimated to be 500,000. Although prevalence, hospitalization and death rates for COPD are higher in men than women, death rates have risen faster in women in recent years. COPD is clearly a major and growing health care threat in the U.S. and throughout the rest of the world.
In the prior art, antimicrobial agents such as benzalkonium chloride (BAC) are often present in inhalation solutions used to treat COPD. The presence of BAC in these solutions generally does not affect the short-term (single dose) bronchodilator response. However, case reports suggest that repeated use of COPD treatments with BAC may result in paradoxic bronchoconstriction. When inhaled by COPD subjects, BAC may also cause dose-dependent bronchoconstriction. Despite these side effects, many commercially available inhalation solutions contain BAC.
Also, treatments for COPD often come in multiple dosage units and must be diluted to specific concentrations suitable for treating patients. This poses several problems. For instance, COPD treatments requiring administration of a single dose unit from multiple dosage units sometimes lack proper mixing or diluting instructions, or the instructions for preparing and using the COPD treatment may be hard to follow or can be easily lost. Of even greater import is haphazard diluting or mixing of COPD medications, which can result in administering the wrong dosage. This could be especially harmful for patients less tolerant to higher dosages of asthma medications. Incorrect mixing can also result in treatment failure such that additional medical attention is required, thereby increasing the time, expense and personnel costs associated with therapy.
There is, therefore, a need for an improved inhalation solution, system, kit and method for relieving symptoms associated with COPD.
One object of the present invention is to provide a dual bronchodilator inhalation solution to relieve bronchospasm in patients suffering from COPD.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a prepackaged, sterile, premixed, premeasured albuterol and ipratropium inhalation solution for the relief of bronchospasm in patients suffering from COPD.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a BAC-free albuterol and ipratropium inhalation solution to treat bronchospasm associated with COPD.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of administering an albuterol and ipratropium inhalation formulation for relief of bronchospasm associated with COPD.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a kit and/or system for administering a dual bronchodilator to relieve bronchospasm associated with COPD.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a process for making an albuterol and ipratropium inhalation solution for use in relieving bronchospasm associated with COPD.
Another object of the invention includes a device for use in relieving the symptoms of COPD.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following detailed description of the invention and accompanying drawings.